Ryan Phillippe wants to assure 9-1-1: Nashville fans that his character is much more interested in finding criminals than love.
“With this serial killer that he’s hunting, it becomes his obsession. Nothing else matters to this character at a certain stage,” Phillippe, 52, exclusively shared with Us when describing his role as Detective Rogue. “He has no bandwidth, free time for romance yet. Once that’s resolved, we’ll see what happens, and we’ll see if they bring somebody in or if it’s someone who’s already in the cast.”
During the season 2 premiere of ABC’s hit drama on Thursday, October 15, viewers watched Fire Captain Don (Chris O’Donnell) and the rest of the 113 begin exploring a mystery inspired by the biblical plagues of Egypt.
As the season progresses, Phillippe warns viewers that it will become apparent there’s a serial criminal on the loose, which will grab the attention of all the first responders featured on 9-1-1: Nashville.
“[My character is] really consumed 100 percent so far with trying to stop these serial killings,” the actor explained. “Imagine if you were just gonna start dating. You’re on Hinge in between being in the crime lab, going over what the latest Bible page the serial killer has left for you to decide.”
Phillippe added, “It’s a natural query to have. But as far as what we’ve shot this season, there’s no time for romance for me.”
For now, Phillippe is grateful to have the opportunity to join the 9-1-1 franchise. He’s quickly learned that the shows are ambitious in terms of set pieces and emergencies.
He even joked that he didn’t completely know what he was signing up for ahead of season 2.
“Every time the cast and crew get a new script, there’s always these reactions and this buzz on the set of like, ‘Oh, look what we’re gonna do next. This is gonna be wild,’” he said. “You kind of never know what to expect, and this season, I think, compared to last, has a ton more twists and turns and moments that will shock the audience.”
So is he saying there’s still a chance his character could find love down the road?
“I think so,” he said, “and I think that’s something the writers certainly would love to explore at some point.”
9-1-1: Nashville airs on ABC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. Stream new episodes the next day on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
